Hi Holli,

I built my Patuxent 17.5 about 2 years ago, and have paddled it extensively since then. The bulk of my paddling is in bays, lakes, and rivers. I use it for day trips only, as I have no interest in kayak camping. I am 6'2", and weigh 220 lbs.

The boat is marginally too small for me, but is probably well suited for someone of your petite size. My 10 year old daughter is quite comfortable in it, and she hasn't broken the 80 lbs barrier yet!. I enlarged the stock cockpit a bit to make entry and egress more comfortable for me, and did not put any deck hatches in it. All up, including a seat and deck hardware, it weighs 40 lbs.

It's a great boat for it's intended purpose. It has good initial stability, excellent secondary stability, and is quite dry in a chop. Speed is rather subjective, but I don't have any trouble keeping up with most store-bought kayaks, and most recrational paddlers. I haven't had it in big water, so can't comment about it's open ocean capability. I would be skeptical of the boat in the surf, however. While the hull shape is suitable for surfing, the construction is rather frail, if you try and keep the weight down.

Mine is made from Oukume ply, glassed in and out on the chines and keel with 6 oz fiberglass tape, and on both the outside of the hull and deck proper with 1.5 oz fibergalss cloth. The plans (make sure you get the latest version, with the modified stern sections-call Chris and ask) are very accurate and complete. If you build from a kit, I would expect it would go together quite easily and quickly. I've got about 60 hours in mine, starting from the plans.

All in all, it's a great boat for day trips. I've gotten plans for the Patuxent 19.5, and hope to put one together in the near future. In the mean time, I'm quite happy with my 17.5. Any questions? Don't be shy-ask away!

Regards,

Pete